What Does It Take to Clean the Ganga? Gendered Dimensions of Protest and Policy Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-204
Author(s):  
Anjali Dalal

In the last two decades, pollution in the river Ganga has become a serious issue, affecting the socio-economic activities and the health of the communities living on the banks and adjacent areas of the river. The impact has been greater on women, because their day-to-day activities for survival are intimately connected with this water resource. The response of the government has been to drastically improve its environmental policies. Social activists on the other hand continued to mobilize civil society in regional protests, which finally led to the beginning of the ‘Save Ganga’ movement. Yet, both the strategies to clean the river pollution have been colossal failures. An analysis was undertaken of various government policies, reports and court judgements on the river’s pollution and a primary survey was done on three sites: Garhwal in Uttarakhand and in Varanasi and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh to gauge the nature of women’s participation in the movements. It was found that there was greater participation by women in the hilly Garhwal region than in the plains of Uttar Pradesh. The research proved that women’s knowledge and experiences in environmental conservation had led to greater sustainability, in contrast to the results of the modern-technocratic approach of state officials and so-called environmentalists. The article seeks to locate the failure of the project of cleaning the river to the lack of gender sensitive environmental policies and insufficient participation of women in ecological activism.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ester Sarah Feronika ◽  
Khairani Rahma Silva ◽  
Santoso Tri Raharjo ◽  
Risna Resnawaty

Perjalanan Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) di dunia sejak tahun 1970-an telah mengalami banyak perkembangan, sebagaimana pula di Indonesia. CSR kini tidak lagi hanya sekedar etika bisnis semata, tetapi CSR telah payung dan berkembangan dengan berbagai pendekatan baik politik, ekonomi, maupun kepentingan sosial. Seringkali CSR hanya menjadi salah cara untuk memperkuat citra perusahaan, atau kepentingan politik sebuah brand tertentu. Salah satu isu yang ditangani kepedulian Progam CSR adalah mengatasi persoalan lingkungan, baik mengatasi kerusahan lingkungan maupun  pemeliharaan lingkungan; selain isu peningkatan sumber daya manusia di bidang pendidikan, peningkatan usaha ekonomi, dan dukungan kesehatan. Beragam cara implementasi CSR diterapkan dengan berbagai jenis inovasinya masing-masing demi manfaat bagi lingkungan sekitar. Umumnya, bentuk CSR dapat berupa penggalangan dana, pemberian bantuan fasilitas, atau sarana dan prasarana pendukung untuk kemajuan sebuah kawasan atau komunitas tertentu. Upaya CSR pelestarian lingkungan dilakukan khususnya pada industri ekstraktif,  yaitu perusahaan yang beroperasi dengan memanfaatkan sumber daya alam. Mereka berupaya meminimalisasi dampak kerusakan yang timbul pada kerusakan kelestarian lingkungan, yang mungkin dapat mengganggu kehidupan sosial masyarakat. Eksploitasi yang yang belerbihan akan merusak ekosistem, hingga akhirnya dapat mengancam kegiatan perekonomian masyarakat. Pemerintah di setiap negara mendorong pada setiap perusahaan/ industri ekstraktif untuk melakukan tanggung jawab sosialnya dalam bidang lingkungan, sehingga di masa depan akan semakin banyak perusahaan peduli terhadap lingkungan. Begitu pentingnya isu lingkungan, sebagian besar pemerintahan di berbagai negara mengeluarkan berbagai kebijakan khusus berkenaan implementasi CSR peduli lingkungan. The journey of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the world since the 1970s has experienced many developments, as well as in Indonesia. CSR is no longer just a mere business ethics, but CSR has been an umbrella and developed with variou s approaches both political, economic, and social interests. Often CSR is just a way to strengthen the company's image, or the political interests of a particular brand. One of the issues addressed by CSR Program concerns is overcoming environmental proble ms, both overcoming environmental problems and environmental preservation; in addition to the issue of increasing human resources in the field of education, increasing economic effort, and health support. Different ways of implementing CSR are implemented with different types of innovations each for the benefit of the surrounding environment. Generally, the form of CSR can be in the form of fundraising, providing assistance facilities, or supporting facilities and infrastructure for the progress of a partic ular region or community. Environmental conservation CSR efforts are carried out especially in extractive industries, namely companies that operate by utilizing natural resources. They try to minimize the impact of damage arising from damage to environment al sustainability, which may be able to disrupt people's social lives. Excessive exploitation will damage the ecosystem, which in turn can threaten the economic activities of the community. The government in each country encourages each extractive company / industry to carry out its social responsibilities in the environmental field, so that in the future more and more companies will care about the environment. Once the importance of environmental issues, most governments in various countries issued various specific policies regarding the implementation of CSR care for the environment 


Author(s):  
Emmanuel Mensah Aboagye ◽  
◽  
Nana Osei Owusu ◽  

Air pollution continues to be an environmental problem that poses a lot of health risks to the young and aged. Developed countries have invested heavily to curb this environmental problem, causing severe threats to human lives, yet the results do not look convincing. In developing countries, the situation is difficult than they can imagine, resulting in governments borrowing to fight what looks like a lost battle [1-3]. The in-depth study of this environmental menace - air pollution, suggests that the government enacts stringent measures to help fight this battle. This is because air pollution has natural (volcanic eruption) and anthropogenic (human activities) causes. In December 2019, the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak was soon declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) [4]. Majority of countries have had their share of the impact of this outbreak. Many countries resorted to city lockdown to strictly control the movement of people and economic activities as recommended by WHO.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
Khalish Arsy Al Khairy Siregar ◽  
Deasy Nur Chairin Hanifa

 Introduction: Singapore is one of the countries with the lowest mortality rate and the best handling of COVID-19. Singapore can be an example for Indonesia on COVID 19 pandemic handling.Methods: The method used is a literature review from google platform with these keywords: “Singapore Health Policy in COVID-19, Indonesian Health Policy in COVID-19, Singapore's success in suppressing COVID-19”. The analysis was done by comparing the policies taken from the two countries in dealing with COVID-19.Results: Singapore and Indonesia did indeed have very big differences in terms of government and in broad areas, it cannot be denied that Indonesia can have the same opportunity as Singapore in providing a good health disaster mitigation system for the community. Three factors influence Singapore's success in dealing with COVID-19: 1) having a responsive and efficient health disaster mitigation system, 2) government legitimacy which is determined by the capacity of the state. Singapore has a semi-centralized government with high legitimacy the experience of dealing with pandemics in the past, 3) Singapore's experience with SARS in the past makes Singaporeans understand very well the impact of the pandemic on their economic activities and social life.Conclusion: Several things can be emulated from Singapore in handling COVID-19 was the transparency, strong communication between community and the government, prioritizing the benefit and safety of civil society and building obedience and awareness of Covid 19 prevention.


Author(s):  
Fardaus Ara

Empowerment of women is a universal slogan. Worldwide, several strategies are carried on by international organizations to ensure active participation of women in decision-making. Active participation at all level of politics is necessary in this regard. Likewise, the government of Bangladesh has adopted various programs and policies to ensure gender equality in all sectors of life. Relevant laws and ordinances are revised, and new provisions are incorporated in the laws where necessary. One-third seats are kept reserved for women to be elected at the urban local government. However, gender disparity is evident at this level. Women are mostly seen as reserved seat councilors. They are almost absent in the leadership positions. In Bangladesh, women's participation in local government politics is hampered due to multi-faceted factors ranging from socio-cultural to political. The male-dominating political parties can play a major role to bring gender parity in politics by nominating and supporting more women in the local government election.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxwell Peprah Opoku ◽  
William Nketsia ◽  
Elvis Agyei-Okyere ◽  
Wisdom Kwadwo Mprah

In many low-income countries, persons with disabilities are consistently denied access to essential services, contributing to a high incidence of poverty among them. The Goal 1 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) exhorts countries to develop appropriate social protection to serve as a springboard to alleviate poverty among all persons. The government of Ghana has introduced Disability Fund to provide one-off financial support to persons with disabilities through its decentralised political units. This is to enable persons with disability to participate in socio-economic activities. However, after a decade of the establishment of the fund, anecdotal evidence still shows that many persons with disabilities continue to live in deplorable conditions. Therefore, the main aim of this qualitative study was to explore the beneficial impact of the fund on the lives of persons with disabilities in Ghana. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from 48 participants, comprising 20 males and 28 females with disabilities. The narratives from the participants revealed that only a few were able to access the fund. In their quest to access the fund, participants encountered barriers, such as lack of information, delays in disbursement and insufficient funds. The findings underscore the need for re-evaluation of the administration of Disability Fund and its disbursement processes. The implications of the findings for policy reform are extensively discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 3175-3183
Author(s):  
Ida Wahyuni Iskandar

The struggle of women to actualize themselves in the political arena is very difficult since the situation that always accompanies is even an obstacle for them to move freely. Meanwhile, political reform which occurred in Indonesia has certainly given great opportunity to women to participate. In this study, the sampling technique is purposive sampling. The analysis technique used in this study is using interactive model analysis. The results of the research are vote casting the most basic of political participation which women are already involved in general election to vote for governor of East Kalimantan. They have realized that their vote determines the future of their region. For this the simplest form of political participation, most of the women in East Kalimantan have performed their right.The role of the participation of women activists is important in inviting women in East Kalimantan to participate in general elections. To increase activist women's participation is not only the responsibility of one party. Political education for women needs to be held more widely, not only for certain groups. Efforts to increase women's participation in politics certainly need systemic collaboration from various parties from the government, political parties, and community organizations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 124-134
Author(s):  
Waqas Mehmood ◽  
Rasidah Mohd-Rashid ◽  
Attia Aman Ullah ◽  
Owais Shafique

The purpose of this study is to describe the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia and the way the government of Malaysia manages the impact of this pandemic through economic recovery packages such as economic stimulus packages. This study focuses on the effects of the economic stimulus packages released by the government of Malaysia as a response to the economic recession triggered by COVID-19. Malaysia is one of the favourite tourist destinations, and the tourism industry generates about 5.9% of the country’s GDP. However, the lockdown imposed by the Malaysian government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected almost every sector of the economy. The Malaysian government has taken several steps to control the spread of the pandemic, such as declaring hotspots of COVID-19, imposing lockdowns, and creating mass scale awareness through social media and TV channels. The government has also deployed several economic strategies such as economic stimulus packages to help industries and the people. This study concludes that the mitigation techniques, i.e., economic stimulus packages adopted are working properly; however, some improvements are required as these techniques are inadequate to manage the transmission capability and virulence of COVID-19. Thus, more attention is required for the revival of economic activities. This study helps to obtain an insight into the effects of economic packages and how effective these packages have been in managing the spread of the COVID-19 virus and mitigating the economic recession. It also provides an understanding of how these packages will help flatten the pandemic curve in the future. This study provides information on the current COVID-19 situation in Malaysia. It also offers information on the policies and methods used by the government to solve economic and public health issues. Further, this study lays out guidelines for policymakers and government officials for the development of more effective strategies for economic recovery and public health initiatives.


Author(s):  
Abdul Rahim Anuar ◽  
Azhar Harun

The National Security Council of Malaysia has declared the east coast of Sabah as the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE) to inhibit security threats and enhance security in the east coast of Sabah. This study employed an in-depth interview with the stakeholders involved in security governance and development in the study area. The selection of stakeholders was based on expert sampling. Secondary data relating to maritime economic activities were also used to reinforce the findings of the in-depth interview. The study areas were Tawau (Sabah) and Sebatik Island. Sebatik Island is divided into two regions; the northern region is owned by Malaysia and the south is owned by Indonesia. This paper examined the impact of ESSZONE’s security policy toward economic activities in Tawau and Sebatik Island. The security policy implemented by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) in Sabah’s east coast has a negative impact on maritime economic activities in Tawau and Pulau Sebatik. Therefore, the government must re-evaluate the security measures in Tawau and Pulau Sebatik waters, and the curfew regulations in particular, because the security threat is lower and more manageable than in Sandakan, Tawau, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna, and Kinabatangan, which form the hot spot area. Furthermore, the government should consider appropriate measures to balance the objectives of security and economic interests, depending on the level of security threat zones.  


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tripti Kumari ◽  
Anand Prasad Mishra

Development is a multi-dimensional process that affects society in multiple ways. It is well documented that women constitute about half of the world’s population but their share in the economy and other development spheres remain neglected. In addition, this large section of population (including Indian women) have been suffering from various disadvantages - lack of accessibility to resources, non-recognition of their economic contribution within the family and society. In order to resolve these emerging challenges, Government of India (GOI) has implemented various programmes and policies since Independence. Among these programmes, Self Help Groups (SHGs) may be considered as a significant initiative of the government as well as the non-governmental organisations (NGOs). These are based on the principle of democratic process of development. The democratic institution provides a platform to the socially and economically deprived sections and encourages them for economic participation. Since the 1970s, SHGs have been working in many states of India and contributing to the development processes. The present paper is an attempt to analyse the contribution of SHGs in women’s development in the district of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The impact of these groups on women’s development has been analysed by Gender Development Index (GDI), which focused on the male-female differences in terms of longevity of life, knowledge and economic betterment.Key words: Development, Self Help Groups, Women in Development, Varanasi, India


2021 ◽  
pp. 60-62
Author(s):  
Sahana. S ◽  
Sukanya. R

The 2020 pandemic has shattered all most all the activities around the world, resulting to a great depression in the economy. Pandemic has poisoned all economic activities. The pandemic has affected public health in the country. If we make a keen look, every 10 years, there is some crash or scam happening in the country. However, after every crash if we make an analysis, there is a new revolution in the economy. The Harshad Mehta's scam which is one of the major scams in Indian share market history brought remarkable changes in banking sector, the Covid-19 crises has made India to depend immensely on technology which would otherwise not be possible in a country like India. With the spread of Covid virus across the country, the Government, after seeing the medical expert's opinion, announced nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus across the country. Life of millions of people was shattered as they could not earn their livelihood. Many youth lost their jobs, there was unemployment problem gearing up across the country. Due to the lockdown, the financial markets also reacted to the pandemic and there was lot of volatility in the share market. The present paper aims to examine the impact of Covid-19 on stock market volatility in India. The paper also considers some of the crashes that have happened in the past and to make a comparative study of various crashes with that of the Covid19 crash.


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